The fourth episode of Masterchef 2012 introduces the final 18 contestants and have them competing in their first mystery box challenge.
The Contestants
The final 18 contestants are:
Stacey Amagrande
Monti Carlo
Michael Chen
Tali Clavijo
Samantha de Silva
Felix Fang
Christine Ha
Mike Hill
Helene Leeds
Scott Little
Dave Mack
Josh Marks
David Martinez
Frank Mirando
Tanya Noble
Becky Reams
Anna Rossi
Ryan Umane
Mystery Box Challenge
The first mystery box challenge had the secret ingredients of eggplant, banana, sweet potato, duck breast, kale, rhubarb, rum, five spice, maple syrup. The banana was the red herring in the basket. The chefs were only allowed to use only the ingredients in the box, and winner would receive an advantage in the next challenge.
The three dishes that stood out (in a bad way) were Ryan Umane, Samantha de Silva, and Scott Little. It was a surprise for them to learn that they had the worst dishes. They each thought that they were being called out for the most outstanding meals in the kitchen. For the first time, a mystery box
As the judges were announcing the person going home, Ryan interrupted to try to persuade them to keep him in the competition. Samantha served her duck very undercooked and was sent home for failing to cook the star of the dish. Ryan made a few enemies by speaking out like that.
Felix was the winner of the challenge for her restaurant quality dish. Her reward as the winner was revealed in the elimination test.
The Elimination Test
Felix was lead into the pantry and was allowed to choose the dish that most intimidates the judges. Joe Bastianich had risotto, Graham Elliot had New England clam chowder, and Gordon Ramsay had his famous beef wellington. She chose risotto because she was very comfortable cooking it and thought she could do it better than her competition. However, Felix has another surprise by also winning immunity and got to watch the action from the safety of the gallery. The other chefs had 45 minutes and use of the pantry to make their risotto.
The Results
The chefs on the top were Frank Mirando and David Martinez. Next week will have them being team captains as a reward.
The chefs on the bottom were Helene Leeds, Tali Clavijo, and Dave Mack. It was Dave Mack who was sent home for a simple mistake of not knowing to wash his dried mushrooms. It was a harsh cut and I feel bad for him.
Who do you think should have gone home?
